News Wrapup: 9/5/17

Developer Hopoo Games has announced that their next game will be a sequel to Risk of Rain and there will be a dramatic overhaul in the style of game. Previously being a popular 2D side scrolling game that was a moderate critical success, the game is being changed to a 3D third person shooter. According to a post on their Tumblr this will allow more atmosphere, environment depth and possibilities for gameplay. No release date has been mentioned.

Opinion: The early footage that is on their Tumblr looks like fun. It is impressive for a two man team to be able to make a game that looks like that which is one of my fears for the game. It is a big step up to go from 2D to 3D and especially with a team as small as that. I’ll remain cautiously optimistic but it is great to see the developers challenging themselves to innovate.

D. Va’s abilities detailed for Heroes of the Storm.

D. Va is about to hit Heroes of the Storm and she has received a hero spotlight detailing her abilities. She retains all of her abilities from Overwatch and gains a new “bunny hop” ultimate based on one of her taunts from the shooter. She is a warrior that has high mobility while in her mech form and looks like a great initiator.

Opinion: I only recently started playing Heroes of the Storm and have been enjoying my time so far. I’ve really enjoyed seeing how Blizzard have made heroes from their other properties work within the MOBA form and D. Va looks spot on. I love her backstory and she looks like an interesting hero due to her multiple forms and mechanics brought from Overwatch. Can’t wait to use her.

Injustice 2 Championship Series announced, $600000 in prize money.

Injustice 2 will be receiving backing from a number of partners including Warner Bros and ESL to establish a slew of events throughout the year. These will culminate in the Pro Series Finals on September 17. It will also allow gamers who cannot attend physical events to compete in the Path to Pro online tournament on PS4. Sony is one of the backers so the PS4 platform will be the one to get if you are considering pro play.

Opinion: Always good to see eSports being supported and the prize money seems to be a decent amount by fighting game terms. I’m not a big fan of the Injustice or Mortal Kombat series but I’m glad that they have competitive play as a priority and have planned this out accordingly. The publisher taking a key role in promotion is also a good way of keeping tournaments managed appropriately so it’s good to see Warner Bros Interactive getting involved.